Growing up in the '80s, there were few things I loved more than a round of mini-golf. Was I any good? No. Did I make even a weak attempt to abide by the rules? Oh heck no. The only thing I loved more than spending an evening wandering around a miniature golf course was spending an evening cheating on a miniature golf course (sorry, Mom and Dad). As another school year draws to a close, I propose it's time to introduce our children to the simple joy of taking 17 strokes to get a small, neon green ball up a gentle slope and through the spinning blades of a windmill. You'll find plenty of putt-putt options to keep your little "ace" entertained this summer in St. Louis.
Although the St. Louis area is dotted with subdivisions, commercial development, highways and the hustle and bustle of city living, families don’t have to go far to find the farm life. The following area farms and attractions feature animals and farm fun for the whole family:
Adventure with dad doesn’t have to mean dad sits on the sidelines cheering at his child’s latest sporting event or school play. Occasionally it’s nice to celebrate dad with a day of fun outside the norm.
When Walt Disney created Disneyland’s Main Street USA, he was inspired by his hometown of Marceline, Missouri. In 1938, he wrote in the Marceline News, “To tell the truth, more things of importance happened to me in Marceline than have happened since – or are likely to in the future.”
You’ve seen the billboards, you know Missouri is often billed “The Cave State,” but have you ever stopped in to see the rumored Jesse James hideout? Located about an hour from downtown St. Louis, Meramec Caverns is a privately-owned cave system open year-round for guided tours.
On a hot day in July 1894, Laura Ingalls Wilder and her husband loaded a small wagon, hitched up the horses and with their young daughter, Rose, headed south. Their destination: a small town in south-central Missouri, where they hoped to turn 40 acres of land on a rocky ridge into a viable apple orchard. It was the seventh time in Laura's life that her family had left everything behind and started over in a new place, living in a one-room cabin, dugout or claim shack as they struggled to realize the American dream of owning their own farm.
The Wonders of Wildlife Aquarium, which opened in Springfield, Missouri, in September 2017, boasts fathoms of finny fauna, but it is the unexpected — a two-story-high cone of spiraling herring, the balletic rise and fall of iridescent jellyfish, the horror-movie leg span of spider crabs, stingrays swimming in an open circular tank like mythical winged creatures in flight — that put the "wow" in Wonders of Wildlife.
Need to get out of Dodge but don't want to plan an elaborate itinerary? Load up the family car, because we've compiled five quick and fun family getaways, all within three hours of St. Louis.
The spring and summer months are a prime time for family road trips! If you're bringing the family dog along, consider these helpful tips.